I’m back! Crazy to think that it’s been nearly a decade since I last blogged. In 2003 I found myself living in Japan with no way to communicate with the outside world. It was then that I discovered WordPress seven point beta and launched my first virtual message in a bottle – mainly aimed at family and friends. After returning to the states, there didn’t…
It was the Summer of Love when Yumi’s dad, Yasuaki, made a decision that would forever change his life. The young man had vacation time saved up and decided to see the world. To live! Dressing the part, he bought a pair of black leather pants and jacket, greased up his hair, and jumped on the back of his motorcycle heading off for parts unknown….
OK… if surgical masks are a must have in Japan then so are elbow-length white gloves and hats with plastic protective shields in front. Apparently, as much as the common cold is their enemy, so is the sun. I noticed this phenomenon the other day when I witnessed one obaachan riding a bicycle down a narrow sidewalk wearing long white burlesque gloves, a surgical mask,…
Many people in Japan wear white surgical masks when our in public on trains, buses, even when driving alone in a car. From the look of things, one would think that Japan is a country full of doctors. But I’m told in these crowded conditions, colds are easily passed along which is why people wear the white masks. Ironically when I visited the hospital, no…
Ever had a song stuck in your head? How about for more than a year? I’ve been walking around Japan with the same tune rattling around my skull for some time… “Motto motto, Takemoto! Piano utte choudai!” For godsakes, I don’t even own a piano so leave me alone!
Note to self…. Ask someone why businessmen can often be seen taking afternoon naps in their automobiles, parked in plain view on city streets.
